Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳) (artist 11/15/1797 – 03/05/1861)
Onbō canal scene from the Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan with Ichikawa Ebizō V (市川海老蔵) on the left as Kamiya Iemon (神谷伊右衛門), Matsumoto Kōshirō V (松本幸四郎) as Naosuke (直助), Iemon's assistant, Onoe Kikugorō III (尾上菊五郎) as Oiwa floating in the river, and Onoe Eizaburō III (尾上栄三郎) on the right as Oyumi (お弓)
07/21/1836
30 in x 15 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese woodblock print
Signed: Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga
一勇斎国芳画
Publisher: Yamamotoya Heikichi
(Marks 595 - seal 04-007)
Censor's seal: kiwame
Waseda University - center panel
Waseda University - left panel
Waseda University - right panel
Japan Arts Council
National Museums of Scotland - right panel
National Museums of Scotland - center panel
National Museums of Scotland - left panel
Hankyu Culture Foundation - 1831 Osagawa Tsuneyo as Oyumi The curatorial files of the National Museum of Scotland note that in the right panel "...Onoe Eisaburō III as O-Yumi watching horrified as the decomposing corpse of O-Iwa (played by Onoe Kikugorō III) floats down the river tied to a door, Matsumoto Kōshirō V as Naosuke striking a catfish with a grave-marker caught by the villain Tamiya Iemon (played by Ichikawa Ebizo V), from the play Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan [東海道四谷怪談] at the Morita theatre..."
Note that Tamiya Iemon is sometimes referred to as Kamily Iemon. In time we hope to clarify this discrepancy.
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Illustrated:
1) in color on page 23 of Kabuki Theatre Prints by Rosina Buckland, National Museums of Scotland, 2013. "This classic moment in the play is achieved by means of a stage trick, known as the 'raindrop flip' (toita-gaeshi), whereby the two decaying corpses, which are played by the same actor, appear in quick succession. The flame suspended in the air above the corpse was a convention used to indicate an other-worldly presence. As was common, this print combines more than one moment in the action."
"Furthermore, the design presents Onoe Eisaburō III in the part of O-Yumi, but he did not in fact appear, indicating that the print was published ahead of time."
This scene takes place at the Onbō canal. A shinka 神火 or a kind of sacred flame is seen rising above the corpse of Oiwa. Such flames represent the angry spirit of a soul that had been wronged, seeks revenge and hasn't yet made the transition to the 'other world'.
2) in color in Japanese Yōkai and Other Supernatural Beings: Authentic Paintings and Prints of 100 Ghosts, Demons, Monsters and Magicians by Andreas Marks, Tuttle Publishing, 2023, pp. 154-155. This exact print is the one illustrated in this volume.
Yamamotoya Heikichi (山本屋平吉) (publisher)
Yūrei-zu (幽霊図 - ghosts demons monsters and spirits) (genre)
actor prints (yakusha-e - 役者絵) (genre)
Ichikawa Ebizō V (五代目市川海老蔵: 11/1797 to 10/1800 and 3/1832 to 3/1859) (actor)
Onoe Kikugorō III (三代目尾上菊五郎: 11/1815-3/1848) (actor)
Onoe Eizaburō III (三代目尾上栄三郎: from 8/1831 to 12/1845) (actor)
Matsumoto Kōshirō V (五代目松本幸四郎: 11/1801 to 5/1838) (actor)
Oiwa (お岩) (role)
Tsuruya Nanboku IV (四代目鶴屋南北) (author)